Sunday, June 25, 2017

VIDEO: 6-foot Shark Swims Between Children And Shore Off Cocoa Beach

COCOA BEACH, Florida - A 6-foot-long shark swam in just inches of water, cutting off children from the shore who were boogie boarding in the Atlantic Ocean off of Cocoa Beach, Florida.

The shark was spotted by beachgoers around noon on Saturday, June 17, 2017, in front of the Ocean Landings Resort which is located just south of Lori Wilson Park.

A mother was boogie boarding with her children when she rode in a wave and nearly collided with the shark.

Upon realizing that a shark was swimming in the vicinity of her children, the mother braved the aquatic carnivore by going back into the water while waving her arms above her head to get her children's attention.

Meanwhile, onlookers could be heard screaming "Get out of the water!" to the unsuspecting swimmers.

Luckily, the shark was more interested in feeding on fish than biting people and no one was injured.

Although the species was not positively identified, the shark appears to be a Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus).

Blacktip sharks, although less fatal than some other species, are the number one species responsible for biting humans along the U.S. East Coast. The shark has black tips on its pectoral fins and grows to no more than about six feet. Blacktip sharks are known to swim in just inches of water where toddlers often play.